Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has justified the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, saying that Russia had "serious security reasons" for it.
"No one is disputing that Russia's use of military force in Ukraine was a violation of international law. However, Russia had serious security reasons for doing so because it has long been misled on the issue of NATO enlargement," Fico said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the U.S. on Feb. 21.
"The conflict could have been brought to an end shortly after it began," he said.
In his 15-minute-long speech, Fico also backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying that Zelensky "actually needs this war" to remain in power.
Earlier on Feb. 21, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Zelensky is not essential to negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine. He previously also accused Zelensky of being a "dictator" and espoused false claims about Ukraine.
"When there is a war, there cannot be democratic elections... When there is a war, it is difficult to investigate where a huge part of the funding given to Ukraine ended up," said Fico.
The speech comes amid intensified tensions between Fico and Zelensky. Fico, who maintains friendly ties with Russia, has escalated threats against Kyiv following the termination of Russian gas transit via Ukrainian territory on Jan. 1. In his remarks on Jan. 28, Fico called Zelensky "the enemy" of Slovakia.
Ukraine expressed "deep disappointment" over Fico's statements, accusing him of acting as "the Kremlin's mouthpiece" while ignoring Slovakia's EU membership.
The Foreign Ministry warned that this undermines relations between the two countries and damages EU unity.
On Jan. 29, the Slovak Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Myroslav Kastran, delivering a "strong protest" against what it called Ukrainian interference in Slovakia's internal affairs. In response, Ukraine summoned Slovak Ambassador Pavel Vizdal on Jan. 30.
In his speech on Feb. 21, Fico also claimed the "absolute majority" of the EU member states, except Slovakia and Hungary, have "endorsed the idea that the war in Ukraine should be used to weaken Russia politically and economically."
"Ukraine has been a victim of a bad strategy," Fico claimed.
He also accused the EU of "pushing themselves to the US-Russian peace negotiating table, even though for three years now, they have and still do openly support the war in Ukraine" and said that "peace talks" may not lead to a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine and its territorial integrity.
"However, Europe should, in any case, help the US president to end the senseless killings in Ukraine as quickly as possible and not hinder him from achieving this goal," Fico said.
Oleg Sukhov
